John beeves



3Sheets--Sh eet1. J. REEVES. Lock for Breech Loading Shot Guns.

No 239,192., P a tented March 22, I881.

Fl c-l 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. REEVES Lock for Breeqh Loading Shot Guns. NO. 239,192.

'P ate nted March. 22, 1881.

FIG- m E 3 Sheets-Eheet 3 J. REEVES.

Lock for Breech Loading ShotGuns.

No. 239,192. Patented March 22,1881.

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PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN REEVES, OF BIRMINGHAM, COUNTY OF WARWICK, ENGLAND.

LOOK FOR BRE ECH-LOA-DIN G- SHOT-GUNS.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 239,192, dated Marci 1 22, 1881..

Application filed February 19, 1880.

To all whom it may concern v Be it-known that I, JOHN REEVES, of Birmingham, in the county of Warwick, England, gun-manufacturer, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Lock Mechanism of Certain Kinds'of Breech-Loading Small-Arms, which improvements are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had'to the accompanying drawings. l

My invention has reference to such breechloading small-arms of the kind called dropdown guns as have internal or concealed hammers; and my said invention consists of or limbs-namely, of an internal hammer, a

mainsprin'g for actuating the said hammer, and a sear and sear-spring, the said sear engaging with the bent of the said hammer.

Instead of using abroad flat plate, commonly called the lock-plate, for supporting the hammer and the other parts of the lock mechanism, I employ a flat narrow bar of steel havin g three pairs of side ears or bearings for supportingthe mainspring and for carrying the pins or centers of the hammer and sear. To

the middle pair of side ears or bearings the hammer is jointed. To the rear pair of cars or bearings the sear is jointed, and the front pair of ears or bearings carries a cross-pin,

against which the return or bent I end of the mainspring bears, thedoubled end of the said mainspring seating itself on a seat at the inner face of the carrying-bar.

I make a longitudinal channel or groove in the body of the gun of a size andshape proper to receive the carrying-bar of the lock, the said bar, when fitted in its place in the body, filling thesaid channel or groove and giving to the body the appearance of a solid body. I fix the lock in the said groove or channel by means of screw-pins passed through the end or end and side of .the bar, and made to take Patented in England May 29, 1879.

guns achannel or groove at each side of the body is formed for receiving the two independent gun-locks.

I prefer to construct the internal hammer of the gun-lock with a long pointed nose for striking directly upon the cartridge; but the hammer may have a flat nose for operating upon an ordinary striker. The hammers are fur nished with the usual cross-pieces or shoulders for cooking them.

Gun-locks constructedaccording to my invention may be applied to drop-down guns in which the internal hammers are cooked by the short arm of a hand-lever on the under side of the gun, or by a top lever, or by a side lever, the hand-lever in either case acting upon the cross-pieces or shoulders of the hammers and raising the hammers to full-cock; or the said gun-locks may be applied -to self cocking guns-that is, to such guns as are cooked by the rising of the breech ends of the barrels for charging.

Instead of making the lock mechanism of 75 double-barrel guns on separate bars, it maybe made on one bar or frame.

'I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the manner inwhich my invention maybe performed. Figure I represents a longitudinal section of the breech end' of a double-barrel drop: down gun containing lock mechanism constructed according to my invention: Fig. II is a longitudinal section of the said gun, showing the cooking mechanism in the act of cocking the hammers. Fig. III represents a plan of the under side of the body, and Fig. III represents an end elevation of the body, and exhibits the carrying-bars of the locks in their places in the said body. Fig. IV represents a side elevation, Fig. V a plan of under side, and Fig. VI a plan of upper side, of one of the gun-locks constructed according to my 1111- vention.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figs. I, II, III,'III*, 1V, V, and VI. I

a a are the carrying plates or bars of the gun-locks, the said bars being slightly curved on their under sides to follow thelloutline of the under side of the body. When, however,

porting the mainspring c and for carryingthe' pins or centers of the hammer b and sear d.

The hammer center or axis 11 turns in the mid dle pair of cars or side cheeks at e e of the carrying-bar a. The center or axis of the sear d turns in the rear pair of ears or side cheeks, f f, and in the front pair of ears or side checks, f f, is a cross-pin, h,against which the return or bent end of the'mainspring 0 bears. The doubled end of the mainspring 0 seats itself on a seat, '5, made at the front end of the carrying-bar a, as represented. The said front end of the bar a is made into a snug, k, which is tapped at l for receiving one of the fixingscrews of the bar. I

- The. hammer b is furnished with a lon g'nose, b, for acting directly upon the cartridge; but a flat nose may be used for acting upon a striker. On the side of the hammer b is the usual cross-piece or shoulder, b, by which the hammer may be cocked, as hereinafter ex plained. p

In the body of the gun two longitudinal channels or grooves, m 1%, are made (see Figs. III and III) for receiving the carrying-bars a a of the locks, the said bars, when fitted in their-places in the said body, filling the said channels or grooves and giving the'body the appearance of a solid body, as seen in the end elevation, Fig. III. Each of the locks is fixed I in its groove orchannel m in the body by two screw-pins-namely, by a screw-pin, n, at its side, taking into the side of the body, and by a screw-pin, 1), (see Fig. 1,) passed from the upper side of the body, takinginto the screwed lug k on the front end of the lock-bar a.

I have represented in the I accompanying drawings two arrangements for cocking the internal .hammers of gun -l'ocks constructed according to my invention; butother arrange- 115811118 for cocking the said hammers, as hereinbefor'e pointed out, may be employed.

In Figs. I and II, I have represented the hammers b cocked andthe locking-under bolt withdrawn by means of a top lever, q, havingmotion in a vertical plane. The cranked inner arm, q, of this top lever bears against the cocking-lever r, centered at its lower end in the trigger-plate s. The .said cocking-lever 1* passes through the locking-bolt t. A spring, a, acting on the heel of the cockingvlever 7', gives the return motion to it and to the top lever, q, and, also gives the snapping action to the locking-bolt t. vWhen the top lever, q, is raised from the tang into theposition reprethe cocking-lever r, which takes the position represented in the said Fig. II. In taking it wiube this position the lever 1' cooks the hammers -b by bearing against the cross-pieces or'shouldare I) on the said hammers, and also withdraws the locking-bolt t and unfastens the barrels. x

In Fig.VII, I have represented the hammers cocked and the looking-bolt withdrawn, by

means of a lever on the under side of the gun. I

u is the handle end of the lever, and a its up:

per arm, passing through the bolt and acting.

upon the shoulders or cross-pieces of the hanimers in the manner described with respect to the cocking-lever r, Fig, II.

By means of lever-indicators (marked to) represented in Fig. VII the positions of the hammers are indicated. When the hammers are cooked they operate upon and raise the inner cranked arms of the levers and cause their outer arms to project through the tang,

and when the hammers are discharged the said indicator-levers fall into the positions indicated in dotted lines in Fig. VII, the outer arms lying flush with the tang.

Fig. VIII represents in plan of upper side, Fig. IX in section taken on the dotted line y 11 ,Fig. VIII, and Fig. X in plan of under side, lock mechanism fora double-barrel gun constructed according to my invention; In this arrangement the lock mechanisms for the two barrels are carried by the same plate or broad bar, a, instead of by separate narrow bars, the broad bar or plate as having near each of its longer edges the side ears or bearings and seat described with respect to the narrow supporting-bar for a single lock. The said broad bar or plate a: is also furnished with tapped lugs and holes for securing-the bar or plate to the body of the gun. v

When the modification, Figs. VIII, IX, and

'X, is used the bottom of the bodyhas'arecess or opening made in it of a size and shape proper to receive the broad bar or plate a: carrying the two locks. .The said broad bar or plate 00, when fixed in the body, constitutes the bottom of the body, and is furnished with a middle opening for receivingthe trigger-plate, as represented.

The parts of the compound or double lock, Figs. VIII, IX, and X, are marked with the same letters as corresponding parts in Figs.

IV, V, and VI.

Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my invention- 1. The lock mechanism for double-barreled guns, consisting of a broad plate provided with an opening to receive the trigger-plate and adapted to be secured in position on the under side of the body of the gun, a sear and hammer having their pivots orcenters supported in side bearings or checks attached to the plate, and a mainspring seated on'a proection in the front of the said plate, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the carrier bar or plate adapted to be secured on the'under side hammer pivoted or supported in the middle of the body of the gun in a groove or channel, pair, and the sear supported in the rearmost IO of the seat located at the front of said 1 bar, pair of bearings, all substantially as described. the mainspring seated thereon, the three pairs JOHN REEVES. [L. st]

of cars or bearings attached to the carrier bar Witnesses: or plate, the pin against which the bent or 're- GEORGE SHAW,

turn end of the mainspring bears, supported RICHARD SKERRETT,

in the foremost pair of ears or bearings, the Both of No.37 Temple'Street, Biwningham. 

